Steven R. Smith is the latest addition to the btv one-sided LP series. He has a fairly prolific musical pedigree and has been releasing more experimental guitar instrumental records under his own names, some brilliant Eastern European influenced song as Hala Strana, and will be releasing a three album series as Ulaan Kohl for Soft Abuse. He also recorded as/with the bands Thuja and Mirza. My good friend Ethan shared some Hala Strana with me and it set me on a quest for his music.
mewithoutYou are on tour with Thrice and Brand New and have vinyl copies of Brother, Sister with them.
See you at the Emperor X, Niagara Falls, Papertrigger show tomorrow, 17 November, at Circle Broad and Washington, 1125 S. Broad. 8:30pm. $6. I was hoping to have copies of Emperor X’s The Blythe Archives Volume One one-sided LP ready for the show, but it’s going to be another couple of weeks. Chad spent a long time on the artwork and it’s pretty awesome. I’ve always wanted to do all-text artwork and these covers are really interesting looking. Emperor X is on tour down to Florida, so see him/them play.
I had some really amazing BBQ in Texas. My friend Brian and I took a little field trip to Lockhart and we visited Kreuz’s, Smitty’s, and Black’s, consistently some of the best BBQ in the state (or really the world). Smitty’s was our favorite of the 3. It was the old building and you walked in to order the BBQ from the guy working the pit who cut off whatever amount you wanted. He put it on butcher paper and sold it to you by weight. You could see the fire going in the pit and smell the wood smoking. Just amazing. We went to Louis Mueller’s later in the day and they were out of most things. Brian said that it was his favorite. Another place to visit on the next trip to Austin, I guess. Also stopped in at Round Rock donuts earlier in the week. Truly some of the best donuts with a really interesting orange colored dough. They open early and keep making them fresh throughout the day. I got a standard glazed that was still nice and hot (and delicious). I also convinced myself to buy the Texas sized donut knowing that I couldn’t possibly finish it. This was the biggest donut I’d ever seen, about 12″ x 8″, really the size of a full dozen donuts. They served it fresh with warm chocolate icing. It was so tasty and so very big. Really incredible. And they say Austin is all about the music…mewithoutYou is playing there tonight, at Stubb’s, a nice BBQ restaurant/venue combo.
:::scott:::

I’ve added some new shows for Unwed Sailor’s tour with This Will Destroy You in late November/December. Get ready to see them play.
Soporus have finished the recording and mixing of their full-length album entitled 24,110. This is set to be released in late Winter 2008.
The samples for the Starflyer 59 Ghosts of the Future boxes have arrived and they look great. We’ll have these ready to go with the next shipment of 3 7″ in early December.
Philadelphians! Emperor X is on tour and will be stopping this Saturday at 1125 S. Broad Street with Honeymoon Music’s Niagara Falls and locals Papertrigger. See you there.
:::scott:::

Unwed Sailor are currently on tour and have dates over the next two weeks throughout the midwest. Go see them play. I’ve also posted some more confirmed dates for another Unwed Sailor tour in late November through mid-December.
Saxon Shore are playing three shows, tonight in Brooklyn, tomorrow in the Philadelphia area, Saturday in Fredonia.
Yndi Halda are playing with Audrey in London on Sunday for everyone in the UK.
Lots of Starflyer 59 test pressings have arrived. All remaining 7″ were sent out yesterday to test pressing series subscribers and they should be arriving tomorrow or Saturday. In the biggest news yet for the series, we have finally decided on where the boxes are going to be manufactured. We’re finalizing the details for the design and hope to have them ready for the third shipment in the series (late November/early December).
The label and cover designs have been sent out for Emperor X The Blythe Archives Volume One one-sided LP. I’ll be posting this for pre-order very soon.
I’m going to be in Chicago this weekend and then Austin for the next two weeks so mail order will be a little slower until I return, but the backlog of orders should be cleared for the most part.
:::scott:::